Re: [intellibrain] Re: ROboJDE robot won't follow line

I have tried re-positioning the sensors numerous times, they still keep giving me problems. I can adjust their position, set it on the white background and it

Message 1 of 4
, Dec 1, 2008

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I have tried re-positioning the sensors numerous times,

they still keep giving me problems.

I can adjust their position, set it on the white background and it shows lost, put it on the black line and it shows (either 1 left, 1 right, both left, both right or lost, or it has a reading very low 30 -50) my line is approx 2.5 inches wide.

I have checked connections and they all seem kosher and there seems to be nothing faulty on the circuit board.

The best way to troubleshoot this is to test sensor and motors individually. You can test the motors using the TimedManeuvering examples. Load the IntelliBrainBotTime dForward example. If the robot doesn't drive in a relatively straight line forward, the problem is with the motors. If it goes backwards, the motor connections are swapped.

To test the line sensors, load the IntelliBrainBotLine Follower example. The program has two modes. Initially it starts with the motors off, but displays the sensor readings and whether it thinks it is left, right or centered over the line. Run the program in this mode to test the sensors. The sensors should read a high value (> 500) when over the line and low value (< 100) when over white. The distance each sensor is above the line will affect its reading. It could be that one sensor is not the ideal distance from the surface. You
can determine this by observing the readings. If the sensor reading doesn't vary a lot between black and white surfaces, try adjusting its distance from the surface. If a reading doesn't vary at all, check the connections carefully.

Regards,

RidgeSoft Support

--- In intellibrain@ yahoogroups. com, "3rd Party Support Services" <third_party28315@ ...> wrote:>> I have the line sensors installed (as the directions on the web site > show).> > Every time I try to get it to follow a line it just oges in a circle > to the left.> > I am trying to use the demo program installed to show the feature.> > I am using white posterboard, with black electrical tape on it.> > It seems like one of the motors isn't working right or one of the > sensors is
faulty.> > Any help would be appreciated.> > Dwight Welsh> FLora Macdonald Academy>

RidgeSoft

Hi Dwight, You need to look at the numeric readings of each of the sensors when they are over the white background and over the black line. It could be the

Message 2 of 4
, Dec 1, 2008

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Hi Dwight,

You need to look at the numeric readings of each of the sensors when
they are over the white background and over the black line. It could
be the reflectivity of the tape you are using is too high, or the
background is not opaque. The best way to determine what is going on
is to look at the readings of each of the sensors individually. Set
the robot on the background area and note the readings of the two
sensors. They should both read low. Set the robot with one sensor
over the tape and the other over the background. The sensor over the
tape should read high while the other sensor reads low. Switch it so
the situation is reversed. Finally, try with both sensors over the
line. Again, make sure you take note of the numerical readings and
verify each sensor reads less than 100 when over white and greater
than 500 when over the line. If the sensors don't read this high
over the line, their positions may need to be adjusted, you may need
to use less reflective tape, or you may need to adjust the threshold
value in the program to be appropriate for your setup.

If you aren't able to get it to work, please reply with the numeric
readings for each of the sensors over the background and over the
line (2 readings for each sensor).

>
> I have tried re-positioning the sensors numerous times,
> they still keep giving me problems.
>
> I can adjust their position, set it on the white background and it

shows lost, put it on the black line and it shows (either 1 left, 1
right, both left, both right or lost, or it has a reading very low
30 -50) my line is approx 2.5 inches wide.

>
> I have checked connections and they all seem kosher and there seems

to be nothing faulty on the circuit board.

>
> What else could it be??
>
> Dwight
>
> --- On Tue, 11/25/08, RidgeSoft <rs1@...> wrote:
>
> From: RidgeSoft <rs1@...>
> Subject: [intellibrain] Re: ROboJDE robot won't follow line
> To: intellibrain@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 11:48 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Dwight,
>
> The best way to troubleshoot this is to test sensor and motors
> individually. You can test the motors using the TimedManeuvering
> examples. Load the IntelliBrainBotTime dForward example. If the
> robot doesn't drive in a relatively straight line forward, the
> problem is with the motors. If it goes backwards, the motor
> connections are swapped.
>
> To test the line sensors, load the IntelliBrainBotLine Follower
> example. The program has two modes. Initially it starts with the
> motors off, but displays the sensor readings and whether it thinks

it

> is left, right or centered over the line. Run the program in this
> mode to test the sensors. The sensors should read a high value (>
> 500) when over the line and low value (< 100) when over white. The
> distance each sensor is above the line will affect its reading. It
> could be that one sensor is not the ideal distance from the

surface.

> You can determine this by observing the readings. If the sensor
> reading doesn't vary a lot between black and white surfaces, try
> adjusting its distance from the surface. If a reading doesn't vary
> at all, check the connections carefully.
>
> Regards,
>
> RidgeSoft Support
>
> --- In intellibrain@ yahoogroups. com, "3rd Party Support Services"
> <third_party28315@ ...> wrote:
> >
> > I have the line sensors installed (as the directions on the web
> site
> > show).
> >
> > Every time I try to get it to follow a line it just oges in a
> circle
> > to the left.
> >
> > I am trying to use the demo program installed to show the feature.
> >
> > I am using white posterboard, with black electrical tape on it.
> >
> > It seems like one of the motors isn't working right or one of the
> > sensors is faulty.
> >
> > Any help would be appreciated.
> >
> > Dwight Welsh
> > FLora Macdonald Academy
> >
>

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